River walk actually open, no really

Anyone visiting the waterfront at The Forks these days might not recognize the place.

For the first extended spring period in what seems like recent memory, the River Walk is not only visible but mostly dry and usable as the Assiniboine remains at a much lower level following the seasonal thaw.

‘Remarkable’

“It’s quite remarkable. We hadn’t seen it in quite some time. Hopefully, it lasts,” Derek Shewchuk said this week while walking the riverside pathway with his son and daughter, “It’s rare. I don’t remember the last time we had been able to do this. Usually, it’s in July.”

The difference is about 14 feet in the water’s level during the past year. What had been a mark of 20 feet above datum at a James Avenue site in the spring of 2011 has been at about 61/2 feet for a month.

“Most of our terraces were under water. The problem is not how high it got but how long it lasted,” Paul Jordan, chief operating officer at The Forks, said of the previous high water that continued nearly 18 months.

“Our door counts are up at least 20% with the River Walk back. The River Walk and nice weather really have an impact on our attendance and our sales.”

Jordan added that the current level of the Assiniboine River is “normal,” despite its abnormality for those who frequent the historic site’s walkway.

Montreal resident Eric Boudreault, in Winnipeg on a work trip, said it’s difficult for him to picture the River Walk and harbour at The Forks deep under water.

“I can’t imagine that, because I’ve run at this place for one week and a half, approximately. And every day is dry,” Boudreault said while jogging. “It’s so nice, and very clean. I like that.”

As for how to keep the River Walk above the water much more often than it is, Jordan said it’s a dilemma Forks management continues to struggle with.

“The docks are in. It’s the first time those have been in, in almost two summers,” spokeswoman Clare MacKay noted days ago.

“And it looks like our water bus service, as opposed to just the tour service, which is starting, will be a go again this summer. It didn’t go at all last year.”

ross.romaniuk@sunmedia.ca Twitter: @RossRomaniuk

Forks river walk

The Riverwalk at The Forks in Winnipeg is flooded on May 6, 2011. A year later, the water level at The Forks is much lower. (JILLIAN AUSTIN/Winnipeg Sun)

Jillian Austin/Winnipeg Sun

The Riverwalk at The Forks in Winnipeg is bare on April 27, 2012. A year after flooding on the Red and Assiniboine Rivers rendered the Riverwalk unusable for much of the year, the water level at The Forks is much lower. (STEPHEN RIPLEY/Winnipeg Sun)

STEPHEN RIPLEY/Winnipeg Sun

The Riverwalk at The Forks in Winnipeg is bare on April 27, 2012. A year after flooding on the Red and Assiniboine Rivers rendered the Riverwalk unusable for much of the year, the water level at The Forks is much lower. (STEPHEN RIPLEY/Winnipeg Sun)

STEPHEN RIPLEY/Winnipeg Sun

The Riverwalk at The Forks in Winnipeg is bare on April 27, 2012. A year after flooding on the Red and Assiniboine Rivers rendered the Riverwalk unusable for much of the year, the water level at The Forks is much lower. (STEPHEN RIPLEY/Winnipeg Sun)

STEPHEN RIPLEY/Winnipeg Sun

The Riverwalk at The Forks in Winnipeg is bare on April 27, 2012. A year after flooding on the Red and Assiniboine Rivers rendered the Riverwalk unusable for much of the year, the water level at The Forks is much lower. (STEPHEN RIPLEY/Winnipeg Sun)
THIS PHOTO MATCHES A SIMILAR PHOTO TAKEN IN 2011, SHOWING THE DIFFERENCE

STEPHEN RIPLEY/Winnipeg Sun

The Riverwalk at The Forks in Winnipeg is bare on April 27, 2012. A year after flooding on the Red and Assiniboine Rivers rendered the Riverwalk unusable for much of the year, the water level at The Forks is much lower. (STEPHEN RIPLEY/Winnipeg Sun)